News Analysis

Examining Gaps in Youths’ Preoccupation with Social Media

By Web News 1174

Social media is a means of interaction between people regardless of race, age or gender.

 Various social sites that have found their way to the global space contain contents that are both helpful and inimical to the social behaviours of youths.
  

As the International Day of Youths is observed across the world, focus on the negative effects of social media on youths and better ways of utilizing the platform for the benefit of the older generation warrants considerable attention.
     
Annually, International Youths Day is observed to acknowledge the integral position of youths in the world.
 

A number of issues relating to youths have been addressed among which are drug abuse, moral decadence, violence, and extreme use of social media among other vices

Many youths extensively used social platforms such as Facebook, Wikipedia, Twitter, WhatsApp, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Reddit. 

Reports showed that 60%of the world’s population depends on social media. According to the report, it is believed that 82.6percent of youths believed that exposure to social media affects their social behaviour.

Findings revealed that most young people use social media before or after every activity they do and they do not interact with their fellows but communicate with their social friends thereby becoming less social.

With the theme for this year being International youths day: “Intergenerational solidarity: Creating a World for All Ages”, to what extent has social media influenced the behaviour of youths towards their aged parents?

An expert in communication technology and social media, Mr Yemi Omitola said youths are more interested in the images, videos and text that they deployed in their interpersonal relationships.

He added that technology had not only changed the narrative of people’s disposition to work but to older people also.

 Speaking on the behavioural disposition of youths to their aged parents amidst social media patronage, Professor of Applied communication, Department of Communication and Language Arts, University of Ibadan, Ayo Ojebode said youths could become more bored in view of the old stories being narrated which was completely absent with social media where youths met their peers for communication flow.

Professor of Correctional psychology Department of Guardian and Counselling, Oyesoji Aremu, University of Ibadan said youths had lost touch with the concept of Omoluabi, adding that youths nowadays were more concerned about immediate benefits derivable from social media rather than having concern for their parents

The scholars advised youths to jettison the attraction of social media and be more interested in the words of wisdom handed down to them by their elderly parents.

Gloria Leigh

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Education

Read More, Focus Less On Social Media- Librarian Tells Youths

By Web News 563

As Nigeria joins the rest of the world to celebrate World Book day, a senior librarian, at the University of Ibadan, Pastor Daniel Jimoh has implored Nigerian youths to stop devoting their time to social media and engage in book reading.

Pastor Jimoh stated this while speaking with Radio Nigeria on the commemoration of this year’s World Books day.

Pastor Jimoh pointed out that no library existed without intellectual materials that were beneficial to mankind.

The librarian observed that most youths in Nigeria had developed cold attitude towards reading.

He noted with concern that technology and social media had impacted negatively on textual reading, adding that book reading gave the reader firsthand contact with an author’s mindset and flow of thought while most readable items via online media were exposed to undue interference.

Pastor Jimoh therefore, urged Nigerians to take advantage of World Book Day, which is a global initiative to celebrate and encourage the reading of books.

In her own point of view,a teacher, Mrs Adebanjo Sogelola said the government should encourage book reading by providing reading facilities for students and members of the public.

The theme for this year’s World Book Day is,You are a reader.

Rotimi Famakin

Lifestyle

Stakeholders Task Radio Nigeria on Reliable Social Media Content

By Web News 703

Radio Nigeria has been encouraged to continue playing a leading role in ensuring credible, accurate and reliable social media news.

This was the view of participants at a one day ICT training for media professionals in Akure organized by the ICT Department, Radio Nigeria Ibadan Zonal Station.

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An online specialist, Mr Tope Aremu observed that Radio Nigeria online platforms had been objective but accurate and balanced, thus correcting the ugly image of social media and fake news.

The ICT expert hinted that social media was very helpful to the conventional media in the area of access to rich discourse for contents, drawing the audience to programmes and services which would result in an increase in revenue.

He enjoined Radio Nigeria FM stations to tap into various opportunities embedded in the social media and appealed to the management to put in place policies that would encourage clients.

A software engineer, Mr  Abiodun Akinbodewa and another ICT expert Mr Adedayo Ajeleti called for a reorientation among staff about the corporation websites and social media handles, saying the workers had a role to play in making Radio Nigeria more visible on the social media and Online platforms with its reliable news so as to check fake news and as well make the corporation benefit financially.

In a remark, The General Manager, Positive FM, Akure, Mr Tunde Abiodun noted that the ICT had tremendously boosted media operations.

He pledged more support for the Online Unit, and solicited cooperation of the staff to make the unit a success story.

The Assistant Director, ICT, Ibadan Zonal Station, Mrs Wosilat Salami said the training was to improve the staff’s capacity in ICT. 

The participants described the workshop as timely and needful.

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Olorunferanmi Odofin